Shonda Sanders enters her fifth season as head coach of the Davenport University women’s basketball program in 2026–27 after being named to the position in April 2022.
During the 2025–26 season, Ellie Toney earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors, while Nevaeh Williams was named to the GLIAC All-Defensive Team. Toney also surpassed 1,000 career points, becoming the 18th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Sanders has guided the development of several all-conference student-athletes during her tenure, including Lillee Gustafson, who earned Second Team All-GLIAC recognition in both 2022–23 and 2023–24.
Sanders brought GLIAC and NCAA Division II experience to Davenport after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State University. During her time with the Cardinals, the program increased its win total each year, culminating in a 16–11 overall record and an 11–8 GLIAC mark in 2021–22, along with a third consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance.
Before joining SVSU, Sanders served as head coach at Delta College, a two-year institution in University Center, Michigan, where she led the team to back-to-back conference quarterfinal appearances. She also spent three seasons coaching at Alma College and served as the video coordinator at her alma mater, Central Michigan University, in 2015.
As a player at Central Michigan from 2008–11, Sanders scored 1,439 career points and connected on 230 three-pointers. She became the 19th player in CMU history to surpass 1,000 career points and earned Third Team All-MAC honors in both her junior and senior seasons. Following her collegiate career, she played professionally in Poland for one year before returning to Michigan to pursue coaching.
Sanders holds a bachelor’s degree in health administration with a minor in athletic coaching and a master’s degree in sports administration, both from Central Michigan University.
